Fr. Rick Spicer

School may be out but that doesn’t mean we are done with learning. The gospel today poses a question that matters on the final exam of life. “Who do you say that I am?” Imagine Jesus standing here and asking you that question.  What answer would you give? Like the crowd, might you say, “John the Baptist,” because he constantly calls us to repentance? Might you say, “Elijah,” since he brings liberation to the poor and the oppressed? Or might your answer be more contemporary, calling him a bad cop who is out to get you; or a wimp who is out of touch with reality, or a fire extinguisher that you turn to in case of an emergency, or a good luck charm that wards off evil by means of magic. Peter was quick to reply, “The Christ of God,” but amongst the ancient Jews, there was no clear understanding of what that meant.  Like many of his peers, Peter was hoping for a military leader who would raise an army, conquer the enemies of the Jews, and gain control of their native land. He believed God would use the Messiah to establish a kingdom where there would be no more war, injustice, or suffering. He gave the right answer but he was not on the same wavelength with Jesus.

Jesus did not reject the title, but his notion of Messiah was not what Peter had in mind.  Predicting his passion, Jesus instead paints a picture of a Messiah who would be rejected, suffer and die that does not appear to be so triumphant. Nor does Jesus stop there. “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Of course, Jesus isn’t speaking literally. He would never expect us to carry a hefty beam of wood like he did, but how willing are we to suffer for the sake of the kingdom?

Paul’s letter speaks of baptism. When baptism is celebrated, the celebrant prays, “My dear child, the Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In its name I claim you for Christ our savior by the sign of his cross.” Following the baptism, the child is then clothed with a white garment while the celebrant prays, “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of our Christian dignity. With family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” His prayer echoes the passage we heard from Paul: “…all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.”

So, like Peter, we could say that Jesus is the Christ of God, the Messiah, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, but Jesus is looking for more than an academic response from us. What matters more is, “Have we clothed ourselves in him?”

That was a question a wealthy father in Madrid, Spain, found himself wrestling with after he and his teenage son had a falling out that prompted his son to leave home. The father searched in vain for five months. In a last desperate attempt to find his son, he placed an ad in the local paper that read, “Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Signed, Papa.”

The following Saturday, the father went downtown to the newspaper office and found over 800 boys standing there, looking for love and forgiveness from their fathers.

Until he found his son, I wonder what this wealthy father must have thought about. Do you suppose he sat at home admiring his many treasures? I think not. His heart was broken, so most likely he spent much time soul searching and praying.

The experience was a wake up call for him, and hopefully for every father present as we celebrate Father’s Day, that their true treasures are their wives and children. They are worth more than any money, property, or power a father can obtain. Over the years as a priest, I have met fathers who have lost their children, some through death; others through drug or alcohol abuse, divorce, or bad decisions which ruined their relationships. Nearly every father said in looking back that they wished they had spent more time with their children when they were younger.

For those of us who are not fathers, I trust you get the idea. There are many treasures of much more value than the things we own and the things that own us. Jesus is calling on us to deny ourselves, that is, to not be so self-centered, and focus instead on the important relationships in our lives, including our relationship with God, which some of us take for granted.

Jesus knows first hand that life is difficult, but he also knows we can meet its many challenges with him at our side. We are most aware of his presence when we approach him not as a dead entity from the distant past whose memory lives on but as a living being who we can encounter through prayer. It was in the setting of prayer that Jesus posed the question of his identity, and it is in the setting of prayer that we can come to truly understand who he is, just as the apostles did.

Jesus urges us to deny ourselves and pick up our crosses with love each day. With Christ as our garment, we will grow in holiness. With Christ as our garment, we will reveal his presence in our lives to others by what we say and do. With Christ as our garment, we can do our share to bring about God’s kingdom by confronting the injustices and sufferings in our midst. Our task is not easy, but by changing our ways to be more like the ways of Christ, we can change our world into the kind of place God had in mind all along when he sent his son to be our Messiah.

Last week I received a note from a long time friend informing me that she would no longer be worshipping here. Simply put, after many years of soul searching, she could no longer support the institution of Roman Catholicism. She and her husband had decided to find a different community to worship in. Reading between the lines, I had to wonder if the latest news media blitz on Pope Benedict’s handling of the clergy scandal in Europe was the final straw that prompted her to leave the Church. She closed her note wishing me the best in living my chosen spiritual path. Likewise, I wish her well as she explores other spiritual paths.

What is happening in Europe is a painful reminder of just how human the institutional Church can be. Throughout its history, the Church has seen its share of upheavals, heresies, critics and enemies. The story is told of Napoleon Bonaparte boasting once to a cardinal that he would destroy the Church. The cardinal replied, “Good luck, your majesty. We priests have been attempting to do just that for centuries.”

The cardinal was essentially doffing his scarlet biretta to the Holy Spirit. Try as anyone might, and many have tried, the Church will not go away precisely because the Third Person of the Holy Trinity is on the job 24/7, serving as the glue that has held the Church together for twenty centuries.  Napoleon thought the cardinal was jesting. He took on the Church and was ultimately dethroned. The Church survived and the former emperor found himself living his final days in exile on a remote island.

Those of you who are sports fans would agree that how well any team performs depends on its star athletes. Without them, teams rarely contend for first place, but with them, a team generates a sprit amongst its members and fans that produces a winning season. Likewise, without the Holy Spirit, the Church at best would be a third rate operation, but with the Spirit, the Church is able to survive its many challenges and thrive.

Pentecost, coming fifty days after Easter, celebrates the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church from the very beginning. Following the resurrection, the disciples prayed in the upper room, pondering what their mission would be. The earthly kingdom they might have envisioned when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to cheers of “hosanna!” wasn’t meant to be.

We celebrate Pentecost as the birthday of the Church. On that day a strong driving wind filled the place where the disciples had gathered. Tongues of fire came to rest on everyone of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. The promise Jesus had made to them on that first Easter evening had been fulfilled. The final piece of the puzzle had been put in place and at last the disciples understood their mission. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they ventured forth to renew the face of the earth.

What they started that day was not an institution but a faith community, out of which the institutional church gradually grew. Early Christians viewed themselves not as an institution but as a community of believers carrying out the mission of proclaiming and living the good news of Jesus Christ.  As the Body of Christ, they regarded the Holy Spirit as the essential power that kept them together.

We aren’t reading Christian scriptures carefully if we think that the Holy Spirit came just that one time and landed upon the disciples for the sake of creating an institution that would continue unchanged to the end of time. Pope John XXIII once said, “We are not on earth to guard a museum, but to cultivate a flourishing garden of life.”  Undoubtedly, he surprised many when he called the bishops together in what became known as Vatican II.  He saw the need for the Church to experience fresh air and with the grace of the Holy Spirit, the bishops reviewed and transformed in many ways what the Church stood for. Yes, the Church is still an institution, but the Church is more than that.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, a prolific Jesuit theologian, wrote many books, but the one I remember best is entitled, Models of the Church. He spoke of the Church as being more than an institution.  The Church is also a mystical communion, a sacrament, a herald, and a servant.

I vividly remember learning about the notion that together we make up the body of Christ as a child. Each baptized person here is a part of that body. As with our bodies, some parts may not seem as important as others.  I could lose a toe and still walk. That toe, however, will not survive without the rest of me!

Some Catholics may feel as insignificant in the parish as a little toe may be to one’s body, or they may feel that the parish isn’t all that important for keeping their faith alive. I feel otherwise.  Not only do we need the church to nurture our faith in Christ through the sacraments, but Christ also needs all of us as his team to herald the gospel, enabling others to see its true value through our actions, that is, in how we serve others in our community.

Those of us who witness Vatican II know well that the Holy Spirit is a disruptive force, constantly challenging the status quo and prodding us to do more toward making the kingdom of God a reality. But disruptive does not mean destructive for the Spirit is also a creative force, constantly remaking things anew. Lest anyone here still thinks that their presence and participation in the life of this Catholic community does not matter, I invite you to reflect on what Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet, has to say:

Alone we are only a spark, but in the Spirit we are a fire.

Alone we are only string, but in the Spirit, we are a lyre.

Alone we are only an anthill, but in the Spirit, we are a mountain.

Alone we are only a drop, but in the Spirit, we are a fountain.

Alone we are only a feather, but in the Spirit, we are a wing.

Alone we are only a beggar, but in the Spirit, we are a king.

In this short gospel passage, Jesus admonishes his disciples after washing their feet, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Love has so many meanings. There is puppy love when we find our hearts swept away by someone else, known otherwise as infatuation. I remember girls from my childhood whom I was madly in love with.  What Jesus speaks of, however, is not infatuation. Instead, he speaks of agape, that quality of deep love, where one puts the needs of others ahead of oneself.  That is the kind of love he has for us. For many people, that initial experience of puppy love has grown into real love because they have indeed put the needs of others ahead of themselves.

Katherine Hepburn once commented, “Few people know what they mean when they say, ‘I love you.’  Well, what does the word love mean? It means total interest. I think the reason very few people really fall in love with anyone is they’re not willing to pay the price. The price is you have to adjust yourself to them.”

Speaking of adjustments, I have a confession to make. I am no longer living alone. I now have a housemate living in the rectory with me. Her name is Amber. This blond has green eyes and is so affectionate. Any chance she has, she loves to be on my lap and be caressed. I never imagined that the day would come that this life long bachelor would find himself sharing his home with a cat. I quickly learned that I had to adjust my life accordingly.

To truly love someone, we have to put our priorities aside. Some relationships begin with one or both persons asking themselves, “What is in this for me?”  But that is not the manner of love which Jesus is speaking of here. When it comes to loving us, he didn’t ask that question. Instead, the question should be, “What can I do for the person whom I love? How willing am I to adjust my life for the sake of the person whom I love?” For most of us who love someone dearly, the answer is much.  When we really love someone, we are willing to go the extra mile and in some instances, go so far as to give our lives.  Many parents and spouses have made such adjustments for the well being of those whom they love.  They understand what Jesus and Katherine Hepburn are saying here; hence they do not hesitate to put aside their self interests for the sake of those whom they love.

Katherine Hepburn also had this to say about love. “Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get…only what you are expecting to give, which is everything. What you will receive in return varies. But it really has no connection with what you give. You give because you love and cannot help giving. If you are very lucky, you may be loved back. That is delicious, but it does not necessarily happen.”

One modern day saint demonstrated that attitude often. Mother Theresa of Calcutta spent many years caring for the dying in the streets of Calcutta. Once a journalist watched as she tended to a dying man who had a wound that oozed decay, giving off a foul smell. She calmly washed the wound, all the while speaking softly to the man. He told her that he would not have done that for all the gold in the world. Mother Theresa replied, “Neither would I.” She did it for someone worth more than that. While you and I are not Blessed Theresa of Calcutta, Jesus still calls us to a similar love.

I think of spouses who honor the vows they shared years ago, caring for the person whom they married who is now terminally ill.  I think of adult children going the extra mile to care for an elderly parent ill with dementia. I think of parents who have made personal sacrifices for the sake of their children.  Yet, I know Jesus is calling us to do more than that. He is calling on us to love even those whom we do not know.

One striking feature of the early church was the love its members showed for one another. They understood Paul’s advice, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” What was true then remains true today.

This weekend we are called to support those who care for the needy in our name.  Besides the formation of our seminarians, and the marriage tribunal, the Annual Catholic Appeal supports those who reach out to the poor on our behalf. For example, last year Catholic Community Services prepared and served over a million meals. They helped more than 78,000 clients, including some here on South Whidbey. In addition, your pledge supports hospital and prison chaplains.  In short, the Annual Catholic Appeal enables every one of us to do our part in fulfilling Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he has loved us.  We can all do our part if we are willing to make an adjustment to our priorities for no gift is too small. Every pledge makes a difference to someone somewhere in Western Washington.

This year, our parish goal is $42,554. Last year 211 parishioners pledged an average of $276. Join me now in completing a pledge envelope, if you haven’t already.  Keep in mind as you fill out your envelope that your gift can be paid over a period of time with monthly billing from the chancery, a credit or debit card, or electronic fund transfer.  The suggested chart is asking you to consider pledging 1 % of your household earnings.  As I have said in the past, any amount received beyond our goal is returned to the parish; that amount will go toward a new organ.

If you choose not to make a gift, at least complete the envelope so that we know that you have responded to the Archbishop’s appeal. Thank you for your pledge; your gift, whatever its size, helps us to make real God’s kingdom in our midst.

Can you recall a painful moment in your life, perhaps a night spent in the emergency room due to an accident that injured a friend, or watching your home burn, or being there to watch a loved one pass away? What about that moment, perhaps unexpected when a verbal confrontation ended a friendship? When your world is turned upside down, it seems as though your life is being ripped apart, doesn’t it?

I imagine that is how Peter and his six companions felt. Having just lost Jesus in the trauma of the crucifixion, and witnessed his return in the incredible miracle of the resurrection, they knew life would not be the same for them ever again. Still, Peter opted to do what had been the normal thing for him to do. He went fishing and the others agreed to go with him.

After a long night of catching nothing, someone whom they did not recognized standing on the shore asked, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” When they told him, “No,” he told them to drop their nets on the right side of the boat and so they did, catching so many fish that they could hardly pull the net in. Just then, the beloved disciple recognized who the stranger was.

In the early light of a new day, the risen Lord greeted the apostles with the familiar smell of freshly grilled fish and bread. How ordinary yet how extraordinary! The last time they had dined together was in the upper room just before they ventured to the garden where Jesus was betrayed. The last time that Peter had stood by a fire, he had denied Jesus three times.

Now he finds himself being quizzed by Jesus. “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again, Peter was asked the question, and again he gave the same response. This time, Jesus said, “Tend my sheep.” Once more, Peter is grilled. “”Simon, son of John, do you love me?” in exasperation, Peter replies, “Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you.” This time, Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Why three times instead of once? Perhaps, Jesus did this to give Peter a chance to recant each of his three denials.  I think of this scene as the gospel of the second chance.  Those who had been in the boat had deserted Jesus in the darkest hour of his life. When he needed them, they had abandoned him. Worse yet, their leader, Peter, had denied him three times in public.

Jesus could have asked, “Why did you do that?” That is the kind of question any upset parent or spouse or friend would typically ask.  Instead of dwelling on the past, he simply asked, “Do you love me?” That is all he wanted to know. Let bygones be bygones. Let hurts be forgotten. Let mistakes be put aside. Let betrayals be dismissed.  All that mattered to Jesus on the beach that morning, right here and now, was simply, “Do you love me?”

Jesus wasn’t speaking only to Peter. He is speaking to us as well, many Easters later. Right now, can you sense him asking you the very same question? Never mind the past. Never mind the many times you have betrayed him or let him down. That is, as the saying goes, water over the dam. What matters to him, here and now, is simply, “Do you love me?” If your response is the same as what Peter said, then picture Jesus saying to you, “feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep!”

Today’s gospel is a beautiful story of forgiveness. Three times, Jesus asked Peter the same question.  He wasn’t taunting Peter. Rather, he was inviting Peter to move beyond his past and take on the challenge of apostleship. He transforms Peter’s regrets and shame into understanding and conviction of the gospel.

It is easy to respond as Peter did and say, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” But then, how do we respond? Are we clinging to our past failures or the failures of others? Have we refused to forgive those who have hurt us in the past? Have we belittled our self worth because of something we did ages ago that continues to haunt us? We would not be today if Peter had allowed his denial of Jesus shame him from proclaiming the good news.

How then do we respond to Jesus’ command?  Feed my sheep, he said, but who are his sheep? They are the marginalized, the hungry, the homeless, those who don’t fit in. His lambs are children in need.  Repeatedly, our Church calls on us to do what we can to uphold the dignity of every human person. That is what social justice is about, striving to safeguard the well being of all God’s children. Jesus is calling on each one of us to be involved, using our gifts and talents to tend his sheep.

We heed his call by sharing what God has given us, our resources and talents, with the rest of his flock. One way of sharing is through the Annual Catholic Appeal, which enables pastoral care ministers to visit the imprisoned and the sick, sustains the ninth largest school system in our state that serves over 23,000 students, prepares those seeking to serve our Church tomorrow, as well providing care for our retired priests. Altogether, this crucial appeal supports 63 important programs throughout Western Washington.  Our goal this year has been set at $42,554. Help us to build a future full of hope with your gift.

In light of the difficult economic situation, I know that not all of our parishioners will be able to support the appeal financially this year. If you are able to participate and not giving at this level already, would you consider a gift of $1 a day to make up for those who cannot give much this year? Know that every gift, no matter the amount, can and will make a difference.  You have made it possible for us to surpass our goal every year and I trust that we will do so again; for this is one way we can say to the Lord, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

The blessings of the Risen Christ be with you! The message of Easter is indeed incredible; one that has captivated the interest of many people since the first Easter morning so long ago. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. As Luke tells us, the women from Galilee were puzzled and terrified when they discovered the empty tomb. They weren’t the only ones.

Clearly, what happened was outside the realm of ordinary human experience. Probably no other event has had a greater impact on world history than their discovery of this empty tomb three days after Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified.

Some critics say the event was staged, claiming that Jesus wasn’t really dead when he was taken down from the cross or that the apostles came and took his body away from the tomb in the dark of the night. The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote, “Some people actually assert that he had risen. Others retort that his friends stole him away. I for one cannot decide where the truth lies.” To me, what makes the notion of a hoax unlikely is that those who witnessed the risen Christ never changed their story even in the face of persecution and death.

Had he not risen from the dead, the good news of Jesus Christ would likely have faded from memory long ago. At best we would remember him as a great ancient teacher like Plato or Aristotle. But he did rise from the dead and within a century this amazing historical truth had spread like wildfire throughout the Roman Empire. This event touched the lives of many people then and, as your presence here testifies, still does today.

Granted, Jesus’ resurrection is a mystery that cannot be fully explained. For those who seek a rational explanation, none can be offered, for as all four gospels relate, there were no witnesses to the actual event itself.

When you stop and think about it, there are many things we believe without understanding. For example, across the street, I often see sheep grazing. Somehow the grass they eat becomes wool that in turn could well become my next woolen sweater but I don’t understand why or how this happens.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one mystery Christians have come to believe based on the testimony of those who saw the risen Christ first hand. Judging from other gospel accounts, the body of Jesus Christ that rose on Easter Sunday was radically different from the body that was buried on Good Friday. Jesus did something no other human being has yet experienced.  He was transformed.

Unlike his birth or crucifixion, the resurrection of Jesus is the starting point of our Christian faith. For starters, the resurrection gives us reason to believe that life for us will not end when we take our final breath. Rather, we also will be transformed into something new, just as Jesus was. That gives us cause for joy, prompting us to sing, “Alleluia!” That ancient word, which cannot be translated, expresses hope that we will not die. Admittedly, we dare to believe the unbelievable, but then that is what separates us from others who have respected Jesus only as a great teacher and prophet, but not as the Son of God who rose from the dead. We know that without the resurrection, there would have been no Christianity.

On Good Friday, I noted that the last words Jesus said on the cross were, “It is finished.” What was finished wasn’t his life but his last lesson for his disciples. The teacher had done what he could to convey the good news to disciples who had traveled with him for three years. Class was over.  With the resurrection, they now understood the full impact of his many lessons. Having encountered the risen Christ, the disciples then ventured forth to proclaim the good news to anyone who would listen.

Nothing could keep them entombed in the upper room, for they had seen first hand that Jesus had triumphed over sin and death. They were moved to share this fantastic news at any cost. They passed on the good news that we could experience new life in Christ not only here in this Easter gathering but also in every celebration of the Eucharist.  And that nothing could defeat us any more, not pain, not sorrow, not rejection, not even death.

Fr. Richard Rohr, a renowned Franciscan retreat master, notes,  “The tomb becomes a womb today, waiting for rebirth.” Jesus wishes to transform our present lives, just as he transformed the lives of his disciples after his resurrection.  We don’t have to wait until we die to share in the risen life of Jesus Christ. We can begin right now, in this Mass, in this Easter celebration.

We are here today because someone in our past shared the good news of Easter with us. Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed local ads on TV inviting Catholics who have been away to come home. I have come to know some who have returned in recent weeks.  One observed that all it took was a personal invitation from a parishioner to prompt his return after many years of being away from the Church. He in turn invited someone else to come home. It was moving to watch them both venerate the cross on Good Friday. If you have been away, please accept my invitation to come back again and again.

This day draws more people than usual to prayer. By your presence, you have linked yourself in faith to the risen Christ. Keep in mind that Easter is more than a day; it is a way of life. Every Sunday the Church celebrates Easter anew reminding us that the risen Christ is in our midst inviting us to a new life of faith, hope and love. May the risen Lord continually fill your hearts, your minds, indeed your very lives with his peace, love and joy until the day comes when we too will rise from the dead.